Idea Exchange - May 2011

 Develop Community Alliances
From Jennifer Zuri with Aquascape Inc.

Developing strong community relationships is key to building your business. Reaching out to local business owners can create good will as well as an effective customer referral network.

Consider building a water feature with signage at a local restaurant. Offer your training facility and meeting rooms to local businesses that need an off-site location for meetings. This encourages good rapport and can help when you least expect it.

When our headquarters experienced a partial collapse of its green roof, a company down the street that frequently used our conference room immediately offered temporary use of their training facility to house our office staff. Because of our strong relationship with them and their generous offer, our company quickly overcame adversity and remained operational with minimal impact to customers.

Design Away Retail Clutter
From Carolyn Weise with Ecological Laboratories Inc.

Retail clutter creates mental chaos. It confuses people, overloads the brain and many customers leave the store empty-handed. Create order to the design of your wares for simpler shopping and to make your garden wares flow.

Good etiquette can make you memorable during and after a trade show.

With hundreds or thousands of companies attending the same trade show, how can you stand out?

Create foreshadowing. Do an email blast and a postcard mailing a few weeks before the show. Include a “Come see us at XYZ show” with the dates and your booth number below your signature.

Prepare your elevator pitch. Create a story about your product, what inspired it and what it does. Do your homework, and point out the positive differences about your product without mentioning the negatives of your competitor’s. For instance, if you heard that your competitor has back-order issues, let buyers know that your product is in stock and ready to ship.

Bring your business card. Include your name and all the ways people can contact you: phone, fax, e-mail, website, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Create an office. Bring all the supplies you normally use to conduct business. For example: Sales brochures, credit card forms, stapler, calculator, pens and paper clips.

Make follow-up easy. Use an expandable file for orders and business cards. Write follow-up information on the back of each card.

Mind your manners. Etiquette goes a long way. Show up on time, and do not leave the booth early. Greet buyers when they stop at or enter your booth. Thank buyers for stopping in or writing an order.

Be friendly and inviting. Say “hi” to everyone who comes your way (even non-buyers). If you appear to enjoy yourself, you will be more approachable and interesting.

 Give us your opinion on
Idea Exchange - May 2011

Industry Professional Site: Comments from non-industry professionals will be removed.